Shoe



V. DE LISO Dec. 3, 1940.

SHOE

Filed Feb. 4, 1938 m w. m m M o a w L 4 D I T u AW l V a 020 a 332 H 8 r 4 I /u l 5 I i 4. 60 5 a3 5 m. Tu

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to shoes and, more particularly, to low shoes such as pumps.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a low shoe, especially a lady's shoe such as a pump, having an upper constructed and arranged to snugly engage the portion of the wearers foot at the edge of the foot opening of the shoe completely therearound in such manner as to prevent cutting of the wearers foot either at the instep or at the heel, and in such manner as to eliminate bulging of the sides of the shoe upper.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a shoe of the class described, an upper having a marginal edge portion at the foot opening which, when the shoe is oil the wearer's foot, is normally contracted in such manner that the foot opening is reduced in size below that of the normal opening for the same shoe size, said marginal edge portion being extensible to normal shoe size under tension, when the shoe is worn whereby said marginal edge portion grips the wearers foot in contact therewith substantially completely therearound.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe having an upper of the character described which is composed of conventional shoe upper leather or fabric and which is provided with a strip of tensioning elastic material secured in concealed position between the lining and the outer layer of the shoe upper.

The above objects of the invention and other objects which might hereinafter appear will be fully understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe embodying the present invention illustrating the appearance of the shoe when on the wearer's foot;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the shoe showing the appearance thereof when off the wearer's foot;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

5 Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the shoe it, here shown as a ladys pump, comprises an upper l2, a sole I4 and a heel It. The upper 50 I2 comprises an outer layer l8 of any suitable leather or fabric customarily used in the manufacture of shoes and a lining 20 of any suitable leather or fabric. Said outer layer l8 of the upper may be formed in a plurality of sections 55 or, especially when the shoe is a pump, as here shown, it is preferably formed from a single piece of material cut to normal size as heretofore and stitched at its rear edges by the usual rear seam 22.

In accordance with the present invention, the 5 upper marginal edge portion 24 of the shoe at the foot opening is constructed and arranged so that it is extensible completely therearound or substantially completely therearound whereby when the shoe is oil the wearers foot, said edge 10 portion is contracted as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and is extensible to normal shoe size as indicated by the dotted lines in said figure and as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1 which shows the shoe as it appears on the wearers foot with 16 said marginal edge portion resiliently gripping the wearers foot and closely conforming to the same completely therearound.

The construction of the shoe upper and, more particularly, the marginal edge portion 24 there- 20 of for accomplishing this result, comprises the provision of a narrow tunnel formed in said marginal edge portion of the shoe upper completely therearound by securing the lining layer 20 and the outer layer I 8 together along spaced lonzi- 25 tudinally extending lines, said securing means being here shown as spaced lines of stitching 28 and 30 which are run completely around the shoe. An additional line of stitching 32 also extends completely around the shoe adjacent the 30 line of stitching 30 and serves as additional means for securing the lining to the outer ma terial of the upper adjacent the tunnel 25.

A narrow strip 34 of elastic material is positioned in said tunnel 26 and may extend com- 35 pletely therearound, or as here shown, from a point 36 at one side of the shoe at the front edge thereof rearwardly to the rear of the shoe, around said rear of the shoe and forwardly along the other side of the shoe to a point 38 at the 40 front edge of the upper at the foot opening symmetrically located with respect to the point 36. Elastic strip 34 is secured in tunnel 26 under tension, while the portions of layers l8 and 20 which define said tunnel are smooth and flat, whereby upon releasing the tension on elastic strip 34 the marginal edge portion 24 of the upper is contracted whereby to reduce the size of the foot opening. The forward ends of elastic strip 34 are secured to the lining layer 20 in any suitable way as by stitching said ends of the strip to said lining layer as indicated at 40 in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. Elastic strip 34 may be composed of any suitable elastic material, as for example, a woven fabric having a plurality of elastic rubber threads interwoven with textile weft threads. Said strip is flat as shown and need not exceed one-quarter of an inch in width, which is the preferred width, although it will be understood that the elastic strip may vary in low the elastic marginal edge portion 24 and preferably Just below stitching I2. Also, as here shown, said counter stiflener is preferably longer than the usual counter stiffener and extends a substantial distance'forwardly of the heel i l of the shoe and terminates in the vshank a short distance rearwardly of the tread surface of the shoe sole at both sides of the shoe, whereby the opposite sides of the shoe at the shank and counter portions of the upper are maintained spaced from each other against the tendency of the elastic strip to draw said opposite sides: together.

In the embodiment of the invention herein shown, the upper edge 46 of the outer layer i8 is serrated, pinked, or scalloped whereby the edge portion of the upper above the tunnel 26 is of increased flexibility and provides in the upper a portion of reduced thickness, similar to a tapering portion, for better conforming said part of the upper to the wearer's foot for close contact therewith. It will be understood, however, that thisfeature of the invention is not essential and if desired may be omitted, the top edge of the upper in that case being straight as in the conventional shoe.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be illustrated embodiment, certain changes in the construction and arrangement'of parts may be made. Therefore, I do not wish in be limited precisely to'the construction herein shown or described. except as may be required by the appended claim considered with reference to the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'A low shoe comp ng an upper provided with an opening forthe i rtion of the wearer's foot. said upper having a counter stiffener the upper edge of which terminates in spaced relation to the top edge of the upper leaving an unstiflened marginal edge portion of the upper above said counter, said upper comprising an outer layer and a lining stitched together along laterally spaced longitudinal lines in said unstiflened marginal edge portion at both sides of the shoe and at the rear thereof below the top of the upper, and a strip of elastic material secured under tensionbetween said outer and lining layers in and confined to the space between said lines of stitching, said elastic strip extending from a point adjacent the front of said opening at one side of the shoe around the rear of the shoe, and then forwardly to a similar point at the other side of the shoe for yieldingly holding the unstiflened top marginal edge portion of the upper in normally contracted condition whereby said foot opening is smaller than normally for the same shoe size, said marginal edge portion being extensible under tension to yieldingly and snugly engage the wearer's foot at the heel and sides thereof, said counter stiifener'extending along both sides of the shoe to substantially the forward end of the shank of the shoe.

VINCENT DE L180. 

